


Serendipity

by fangirl54321, H_E_A_R_T_H



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Nonbinary Character, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, crime scene descriptions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2021-01-04 05:07:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21192053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl54321/pseuds/fangirl54321, https://archiveofourown.org/users/H_E_A_R_T_H/pseuds/H_E_A_R_T_H
Summary: (n.) The unexpected occurrence or events by pure luck resulting in happy or beneficial outcomes.





	Serendipity

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in mind for almost a whole year, and I'm so excited to share it!  
I plan on keeping an updating schedule of once a month, but we'll see how that turns out.

As autumn's hand begins to grip the minimal greenery of Detroit, my partner and I transfer departments. We travel from Chicago to Detroit, a long, gruelling car ride made better with the cool weather. It's nice to have a place to call home the moment we arrive, skipping the awkward step of sleeping in motels until we find our feet.

Our old department was better than nice. Our Captain was the one to hunt down our new residence; a nice apartment with two bedrooms. The whole department had even thrown a going-away party. It wasn't very extravagant, everyone gave small presents like pillows, dishes, and paintings. It was the thought that counted, of course, and I couldn't have asked for a department more thoughtful.

That's one of the reasons why transferring had been so difficult for my partner and I. We were well-known detectives with loving peers. Despite that, we decided very quickly that we wanted to move, a hasty decision made purely by feelings. Nothing romantic, mind you. We were blinded by platonic love, moving away from our families to build our own lives. 

Max White is my soulmate. Platonically by all means, but not without the intensity a lover's feelings might require. He's the reason I'm being driven down the streets of Detroit.

When we arrive at the address, we open the door to find the apartment fully furnished. Our clothes remain in boxes placed precariously in the living room. This doesn't come as a surprise, as our old lieutenant reassured us that she'd handle it. She knew a moving company and had a relative that lived on the same floor.

The relative comes around an hour after we've begun unpacking our clothes. The boy looks nothing like the lieutenant. He's small and dainty, with a round face and big, welcoming blue eyes, framed by long dark curls. "I'm David Gallichan," he introduces himself as he rubs his bicep in a shy manner. "I'm Lieutenant Gallichan's nephew. She told me to, uh, watch the movers, I guess. I did that."

Max and I share a look of understanding. We both immediately love this young boy. He can't be too old, either in high school or a newly graduate.

"My name is Max, this is my partner Payne." My partner introduces us, "We don't have any food or anything, so we're ordering a pizza. You down?" It seems his casual invitation chipped at the boy's wall, because David looks a little less on guard after he processes Max's words.

We spend the night eating pepperoni pizza and telling David stories of our time in Chicago. He likes hearing about the lieutenant. I wonder how often he sees her or if he misses her at all. I decide not to ask him about their relationship.

We walk David back to his door when we decide it's far too late to be keeping him. His mother's nice, and it's easy to deduce she's related to the lieutenant. She has the same greasy red hair, nearly identical brown eyes permanently narrowed in a stern glare. Despite that, she talks in a soothing tone, not unlike the lieutenant. "You must be the detectives," she states when she opens the door. "It's so nice to meet you two."

"Thanks so much for helping us with the move, miss Gallichan." Max steps up, "If you need anything, feel free to step on by."

"We should be saying that to you." The woman states, "But anyway, I hope I'll see you around at work. I'm a coroner, so if _you_ need anything, feel free to step on by."

Max grins at the tease, and we wish the Gallichans goodnight. After putting sheets on our beds, we call it a night. The next couple of days is just us finding our bearings. We pack our clothes away, buy groceries, and adjust furniture and decore accordingly.

After seven days, we head to work for the first time.

Sitting in the car is nostalgic. Max behind the wheel, my face pressed against the cold glass. A single scarlet leaf pirouettes in the corner of my eye, carried by spirals of invisible breeze. The leaf shoots out of vision as the car pulls out of our parking space.

It's predictable our Captain would find us somewhere near our new precinct. It's only a four to five-minute drive. 

When Max turns off the car, I can't help the lingering feeling of dread that pools in the bottom of my stomach. "Go on without me," I end up telling him, "I need a smoke."

His eyebrows furrow, but he complies nonetheless. "I'll go talk to the Captain," Max states, "Take your time."

I haven't smoked in a long time. Today I decide I have a reasonable excuse to pull out a cigarette. Starting completely anew, a blank slate waiting to be covered. It's a lot of pressure. I'm not very special, but my old department saw me and everyone else as extraordinary. It's rare to find people so nice. I doubt I'd come across another miracle here.

I smoke until I feel heat tickling the tips of my fingers. Throwing down the stub, I run my shoe over it before heading up the stairs. I take comfort in the lingering smell and the burn in my throat, despite the fact that it's already fading.

The receptionists are two androids, both beaming women. They break out of conversation when I step through the doors. "Oh, you're Payne Vermillion!" The receptionist on the left pipes up. They're the exact same model, caucasian with brown hair and brown eyes, except the one who's spoken has her hair cut into a pixie cut, the other has her hair in a bun. "We're excited to have you in the DPD. Your partner just went on ahead, would you like me to show you to Captain Fowler's office?"

I try smiling at her, but from the way my lips quiver, I think it's safe to assume it looks more like a grimace. "I think I can find my way on my own, thanks."

"Of course!" The exciteable android exclaims, "His office is right ahead, it's the one with the transparent glass walls. Can't miss it."

"Thanks," I smile awkwardly, "Are you sure you don't want to see my badge before you send me off?"

"We scanned you," the other android finally pipes up, though she sounds much less enthusiastic. Exasperated would be a better word for it. "That's how we knew your name, and that's how why we know that you were transferred here a week ago."

"Oh," I let out, "That makes sense. Uh, sorry." I smile sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it." The first android pipes up before the other can respond. "Now, go on. Your partner should be waiting for you."

I know something I said must have been disrespectful. At least, the second android looks offended. "Thank you both so much," I say in hopes that I can make it up to them, "Have a nice day."

You would think they'd never heard the phrase directed at themselves before. Their shoulders and brows raise in shock, and they don't respond for a couple of seconds. They move and respond in synchronization. "Have a nice day!" Their identical voices overlap each other, I wonder if that was a message they were programmed to say every time someone walked past. It seemed too forced to be anything but that.

I smile before I walk past. Their heads move to follow me, shock flooding their faces. When I make it out of their range of sight I fight back a shudder. If the receptionists aren't used to human decency, then how bad could the rest of this precinct be?


End file.
